Honda BR-V vs Hyundai Creta Comparison

Compact SUVs are a growing segment in India. One of the latest vehicles in this segment was the Hyundai Creta, whose sales skyrocketed as soon as it was launched, and is continuing to do well. The Creta has managed to out do its rivals such as the Renault Duster, which was at the top of the game.

Now Honda is joining the party with the new Honda BR-V, that is expected to make its debut in India during the 2016 Auto Expo. Let's compare the Honda BR-V to with the Hyundai Creta in terms of engine specification, design, and features and see which of the two Compact SUVs is a better buy.

Pricing

• Hyundai Creta: Rs. 9.74 lakh onward
• Honda BR-V: Rs. 10 lakh onward [Approximate price, not launched yet]

Note: Prices mentioned are approximate on-road (Delhi)

Design

The Honda BR-V is developed on the same platform as the Brio and the Mobilio. The Honda BR-V has sharp lines flowing through the vehicle, giving it a bold, SUV styling up front. The BR-V receives black cladding around to give the SUV a muscular look.

The Hyundai Creta is based on the South Korean carmaker's fluidic design sculpture. One can notice few design elements that have been borrowed from the Elite i20, but the Creta is very well proportioned overall, and is good looking too.

Engine Specification & Gearbox

The Honda BR-V could most probably use the same petrol and diesel engines that power the City. The petrol motor is a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder mill that produces 117bhp and 145Nm of torque. The diesel engine is also a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder unit that produces 99bhp and 200Nm of torque. The engines could be tweaked a little more for performance, but still remains a mystery at this point.

Both engines will be on offer with a manual gearbox, and the chances of the automatic gearbox making its way to the BR-V is also high.

The Hyundai Creta is offered with one petrol and two diesel engine options. The first is a 1.6-litre petrol engine that produces 122bhp and 154Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Next up is a 1.4-litre diesel engine, that produces 89bhp and 224Nm of torque, while the third engine option is a 1.6-litre engine that produces 126bhp and 265Nm of torque.

The diesel variants of the Hyundai Creta is offered with a manual 6-speed gearbox while the top-spec variant (SX Plus Auto) is offered with an automatic gearbox. The Creta petrol returns a mileage of 15.29km/l, the 1.4 diesel returns 21.38km/l, and the 1.6-litre engine delivers 19.67km/l.

Features

The Honda BR-V offers three rows of seating, similar to the Mobilio. The BR-V has roof mounted air vents for the second row, 16-inch wheels, power windows, rear parking sensors, touch screen audio/ video navigation system, keyless entry, and projector headlamps.

The Hyundai Creta features an audio/ video navigation too, with a touchscreen interface, smart key with push button start, 17-inch wheels, projector headlamps, steering mounted controls, and LED positioning lamps.

Safety

The Honda BR-V comes with airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and more, which will be revealed as soon as there are more details. The Hyundai Creta comes with side and curtain airbags, ABS, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill Start Assist, and Vehicle Stability management.

Verdict

The Hyundai Creta is selling well for a reason, which is because it is good. The Creta is priced right, looks good, and offers everything needed to be used in the city and long trips. The automatic gearbox in the diesel model is something very useful to drive in city conditions.

The Honda BR-V seems to be a very promising product and if Honda gets the pricing right (which they will). The BR-V has all the potential to beat the Creta in terms of sales, because the BR-V is a 7-seater while the Creta is a 5-seater. Stay tuned for more updates.